


Secrets and Storms

by ashleigh



Series: Moments in the lives of Clex [1]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 18:09:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3420518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashleigh/pseuds/ashleigh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clark decides to tell Lex the truth. Set during Tempest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets and Storms

So this is my first smallville fanfiction, and I've only just started watching it, I'm only up to the second season but I am absolutely convinced that Lex and Clark belong with each other so here we are. This is the fist fic in what will be a series of short stories in the lives of Clark and Lex and moments in their relationships. I'm not completely happy with my version of Lex, no one i know watches Smallville so I don't know if I've written him right so please leave any feedback concerning him and Clark if you think they're out of character. Enjoy :D

 

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“I want you to know, whatever happens in the next few days, I’m still your friend and that’s never gonna change.” 

Lex’s words echoed in his head and Clark could feel the forced happiness he’d been faking since Lex had appeared at the top of the stairs slip through his fingers. He should say something reassuring and friendly, give Lex a crooked smile and lie but he couldn’t. His entire life was teetering on the edge of collapse and lying to Lex felt like one more betrayal he couldn’t stomach. 

He’d never wanted to be this kind of person, lying to everyone he cared about and the past few months it had become harder and harder to justify the outright lying that was becoming second nature, especially when it came to Lex. Lex had trusted Clark with parts of his life he’d never shared with anyone and Clark was very much aware how hard the older man found trusting people so the thought of throwing that back in his face one more time made the bile rise in Clark’s throat. So instead he pulled managed a tight smile and a hum. Lex sighed Clark would swear he looked disappointed. 

“Right, well have a nice time at the prom Clark.” Lex said with a sad smile and turned for the stairs. 

Clark nodded and tried to push away the knowledge that he was a terrible person. Why was everything so hard? Why did Nixon have to poke his nose around things that weren’t his business? What was he going to do when his secret came out? And it would come out because for all his dad’s promises, Nixon was playing by different rules and he knew that his dad was too good of a person to sink to Nixon’s level. And Lex, Lex would find out, he’d find out that Clark had been lying to him since the day they met. He’d loose Lex. 

He couldn’t loose Lex. 

“Never? Is that a promise?” 

The words tumbled out before Clark could stop them but once they were said he knew he’d made his choice. His best friend deserved better than to find out the truth from the front page of the highest paying newspaper. His face was still turned to the mirror but he could sense Lex freezing on the stairs, the atmosphere in the room suddenly crackling with anticipation. 

“Yes, that’s my promise to you Clark. No matter what.” 

Clark was impressed that Lex had managed to keep the desperation out his voice, he could only imagine what the older man must be feeling at this moment; the truth he’d so desperately wanted for months hanging just within his reach. 

He took a deep breath and run his fingers through his hair, ruining whatever style he’d managed to create and stared down at his feet. The bow around his neck suddenly felt all together too tight. 

“What if.” He managed before his voice broke. 

He was terrified; he could hear his dad’s voice screaming at him in his head for even considering it. But he had to. The rest of the world may be learning his secret without his permission but this was his. This was his chance to tell the truth to someone who meant so much to him at least once. 

“What if I told you…there was a space ship in my storm cellar?”

No going back now. 

Clark watched as Lex’s face went completely blank, devoid of all emotion and he knew that meant he’d shocked Lex to his core. Lex didn’t like showing surprise; he viewed it as a weakness and the fact that he didn’t trust Clark enough to show that weakness was almost a physical pain in the teenager. 

“I’d ask you why you have a spaceship.” 

Their eyes were locked now and Clark could feel the thickness of the atmosphere in the room, it was almost suffocating. It didn’t escape his notice that Lex was keeping a substantial amount of distance between them. 

“Because I’m not human Lex… my ship came down with the meteor shower.” He watched Lex closely for any sign of emotion but he got nothing, only stony flatness. “You don’t believe me do you?”

“I want to Clark, I really do but… come on, you’re telling me you’re an alien!” Lex rubbed his hand across his head, something Clark noticed he only did when he was under pressure or stressed. 

“You hit me with your car, and I didn’t even have a bruise. That day I got home and I put my hand in the wood chipper; I blunted the blades. I can lift a tractor above my head without breaking a sweat, I can see through walls, I can run faster than you drive one of your sports cars.” The words kept coming and with each admission Clark began to feel lighter, only now fully understand the weight lying to Lex had been putting on his shoulders. “And sometimes…” he’d never told anyone this, not even his parents. “Sometimes I wake up and I’m floating above my bed.” 

Lex looked him and Clark felt his heart ache, his friend looked so lost and he couldn’t blame the older man, his entire understanding of the universe was shifting beneath his feet with every new fact Clark threw at him. 

“Why are you telling me all this now?” Lex asked him suspiciously.

“Because I wanted you to find out from me, not the way the rest of the world is going to find out come Monday morning. Ya know that reporter, Nixon? He’s got some photos of me using my abilities, he found the ship, put it all together and now he’s going to sell me to the highest bidder.” Clark couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice, his jaw clenching tightly in anger. He was too busy staring at the floor to see Lex’s eyes widen in realization.

“Shit.”

“Yeah tell me about it.”

“No you don’t understand, I have an appointment with Nixon tonight.” 

The blood froze in his veins and Clark would swear his heart had stopped beating for a moment or two. When he looked up at Lex he frowned at the guilty look his best friend was shooting at him. The feeling of betrayal unlike anything Clark had ever experience surged in his stomach, twisting together with anger and disappointment. 

“What?” he demanded, taking a step towards Lex only to stop when he saw a flash of fear in the other man’s eyes. 

He was angry but he didn’t want Lex to be afraid of him that was the last thing he wanted. Pretty soon Lex might be the only friend he had left and he wouldn’t loose that all because he couldn’t control his anger. 

“How do you know Nixon?” he demanded again, glaring at the older man, having a heard time believing his best friend could have been involved. 

“That’s really not important right now Clark.”

“Lex!” 

He wasn’t about to let Lex talk his way out of explaining, not when he’d just spilled his deepest, darkest secret. 

“I hired him alright! Months ago when back when we first met. I knew I’d hit you with my car and I knew you were keeping secrets so I hired Nixon to find out what you were hiding.”

“You hired him to spy on me all because you thought you’d hit me with your car?” 

“I DID hit you with my car, as you just admitted to five minutes ago after telling me you’re a fucking alien!” Lex yelled before taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down. “When we became closer, I realised your friendship meant more to me than the truth, so I fired him and told him to leave you and your family alone. Up until yesterday, I thought he had.” 

Clark wanted to be angry, he really did but how could he? After all the lies he’d told Lex over the past few months, he was in no position to get all high and mighty about going behind a friends back. Instead he sighed and sunk down onto the old couch sitting against the far wall, rubbing his face tiredly. 

He really didn’t know how he was going to get through Prom without raising suspicions; he was already exhausted from it all. He didn’t look away from the wall when Lex sat next to him; it was the closest they’d been since he’d spilled the truth; instead they sat in silence, both knowing that everything had changed, for good or bad neither was sure.

It was Lex who broke the silence, startling Clark out of his thoughts. “Do your parents know about Nixon Clark?” 

Clark sighed and leant back against the couch, leaning his head back so he could stare at the ceiling. “Yeah and dad said he’d fix it but…”

“Jonathan plays by the rules, Nixon doesn’t. Your dad’s in over his head.” Lex finished for him 

“I know, and he think he knows it too.” He agreed and after a moment of thought, rested his head on Lex’s shoulder.

The other man tensed and Clark was sure he was about to be brushed off; they’d never really touched like this apart from the odd hug after some life-threatening situation. Instead he could feel Lex relax slightly after another moment a hand reached up and carded through his hair. 

This should be weird, it should make him uncomfortable; it would feel awkward if it was either Chloe or Pete stroking through his hair, but it didn’t. It felt nice and soothing and comforting. Maybe because it was Lex and everything concerning Lex was different or maybe it was because Lex knew, Lex knew what he was and he hadn’t run away screaming, hadn’t had him carted off somewhere to be poked and prodded by men in white coats, he was just being Lex and treating him like Clark, like nothing had changed. Well the extra touching was a new development but Clark was quite fond of that part. 

“I’ve really fucked everything up this time Lex, I knew better than to use my abilities, and now Nixon isn’t just going to destroy my life, but my parent’s lives too.” Clark was ashamed by how his voice shook slightly and to stop the tears from building he focused on the warmth of the older man’s shoulder and the warm spicy smell of his cologne.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear before Clark, didn’t know you knew any bad words.” Lex teased, making Clark chuckle wetly against his shoulder. 

“I thought the situation called for it.” Clark answered.

“Nixon isn’t going to destroy anything Clark, I promise. I’ll deal with it.” 

He pulled away from Lex so he could look into his face, frowning heavily and stamping down on the hope that hand sprung up in his chest at Lex’s words. 

“What? How?”

Lex stood up to stand in front of Clark and held out his hand, which Clark took only to be hoisted up off the couch. Lex placed his hands on his shoulders and dusted off some none existent dirt before looking at Clark’s face. 

“This is what we’re going to do; you are gonna go to prom with Chloe and be nice and polite and show her a good time and I am going to meet up with Nixon and make all this go away.” The older man explained, straightening Clark’s bowtie.

“How are going to do that?” Clark asked hesitantly, having a sudden vision of Lex murdering Nixon and dumping his body in the woods somewhere. 

“I’m not going to kill him if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m going to pay him a ridiculous amount of money for whatever evidence he has against you and your family.” 

“I can’t ask you to do that Lex!”

“You’re not. I’m this because you’re friend, I protect my friends Clark.” 

Clark’s answer was silenced by the crack of thunder and he looked out at the field, the wind howling through the barn and realised the sun was beginning to set. 

“Chloe will be here soon.” He murmured, not for the first time regretting his decision to ask Chloe to prom. 

“And I have my appointment with Nixon.” 

They stared at each other for a moment, neither quite sure how to deal with the awareness they now had of one another. For a second Clark considered reaching up and touching Lex’s arm for just one more moment of that comforting warmth but thought better of it, now wasn’t the time to be pressing any more boundaries. 

“Oh and Clark?” Lex hesitated and turned on the second step, eyebrow raised. 

“Yeah Lex?”

“Tomorrow, when all this is over; I’m expecting to see some tractor lifting.” He told the younger man, mouth twisting up into a crooked smirk. 

“Fair enough.” Clark chuckled in return, for the first time since the arrival of Nixon feeling a little bit lighter. 

Clark watched his friend go, licking his lip and taking a deep breath. Lex would fix this, Lex would make everything better; Clark had faith in that. 

 

OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO

 

Well there we go. I know its short but I'm just trying to get the feeling for this world and characters, hope you all liked it and they weren't too out of character.


End file.
